Phil Neville Quotes

Female goalkeepers are seen as equals in academies now. We're trying to set a good example for the younger boys so they're used to seeing us women around, making great saves and scoring great goals.

That's the awesome part. Little girls now have a chance to look up and see women playing soccer, basketball, softball and now hockey - and know they can win a gold medal, too.

My role models were Kevin Phillips and David Beckham, and, for me, now girls can look up to female footballers and want to aspire to be them and try to follow in their footsteps and even be better than us.

As players, we need to try to inspire young girls to keep playing because, at grass roots, we need more girls playing football.

I thought, 'Oh, this is great,' because maybe someone who does look like me will watch 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' and realize that they can be an actor if they want to be, or they can be a superhero. They can have a hero that looks like them as well.

We need to have women in more powerful positions that are making decisions, so when that 10-year-old girl is looking up and wondering, 'What can I do and what do I want to be when I get older?' She has the opportunity to do and be whatever she wants.

I'm very privileged to be a professional footballer, and I want to encourage more young girls to play.

A lot of young women play soccer, and it's wonderful to give them something to aspire to.

It's a dream that we, as women footballers, get to play in the same stadium as the men.

I want young girls to dream about being professional soccer players instead of just watching the boys go out and play.

We want to be the face of women's football, to encourage young girls to play. If I have to be recognised in the streets to encourage them, I'm happy to do that.

I think obviously the media need to help promote the game and make it bigger so the younger girls have women role models to look up to and try and aspire to instead of just male footballers.

I think that what's happening is that girls are enjoying playing. It's a lot more acceptable, and now we have a Women's Super League with hugely dedicated female role models - really committed players who people can see are dedicated and training as hard if not harder than any male players - that's all progressing the sport.

Just normalising the idea of women playing football is a massive part of what we need to do.

I've seen the effect some of my shows have had, and so I like characters that can be role models for young girls, roles that can help to change people's perspective.

I wanted to be a female like Chyna, who broke boundaries and did things that were really special.

There weren't any opportunities to be a professional women's player until I was 16 and the WSL was formed.

We have two issues - not enough young girls starting in karting at a young age and no clear role model. Sometimes you just have to see it to believe it.

Despite the gender stereotypes in the '80s, my race-car-driving dad taught me that I could do whatever my brother could.

I want people - boys and girls - to be sat at home watching me alongside the likes of Rio Ferdinand or Frank Lampard, thinking that it's normal, that we all know what we're talking about, and that they're not judging me at home just because I'm a female.

I don't think anyone would say that the women on the United States national team are not great role models and ambassadors. Everywhere we go, we connect with fans, sign autographs, and represent our sport and federation with class.

I think you've seen the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City - the top clubs - all now tapping into the women's market and developing that side of the club. It's great for women's football, and I look at how far we've come, and it's great to have teams like this.

Debbie Allen and Regina King inspire me.

It wasn't until 1999 when my idols Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly took home the women's World Cup trophy at the Rose Bowl in front of 40 million TV viewers that I remember thinking how rare it was to see women play sports on TV.

It can be very challenging to be what you can't see. Think about it in the physical world. You walk into a room, and no one looks like you. Can you relate to them? Do you feel welcome? Let's stop talking about how men dominate the technology industry and instead focus on the women who are killing it.